The Sacrifice of Innocence
by Lord of Harems
Summary: He is the only one capable of calming her and saving everyone from her carnage. And all that it costs is his soul.


The Sacrifice of Innocence

(Edited for spelling... e's and u's to a's, ending)

He ran his hand through his carefully groomed hair before removing his glasses so that he could wipe his brow. Looking up the long throw of steps that headed to his family's inn and patting the letter found in his pants pocket, he cracked a smile thinking of the respite he would find here. Feeling his burden lighten, he took the steps two at a time, despite the large rectangular case he carried in his right hand and quickly found himself looking at the front doors of the Hinatasou. Trying the door, he found it unlocked and a brief frown came to his face. He knew that his grandmother was away and he couldn't believe that his aunt would leave the inn unlocked. It had been his understanding that other than his grandmother; the inn was uninhabited, which was a prerequisite for his needs.

'Could someone be using the inn without Granny's knowledge?' Keitaro thought worriedly. That would be just what he needed were the sarcastic words running through his head. His right arm began to shake with so much force that his whole body seemed to shiver and he had to use his left hand to steady it. Quietly, he pushed the door open and poked his head inside. The foyer was dark and he could see some cobwebs in the room's corners, but he could also see the hallway lights were on. Whoever was living here was not very thorough in the inn's upkeep. Deciding he would head to the manager's room first since it was closest, he made his way to the first room to the right. It was empty, with just a bare amount of furniture. 'Strange,' the young ronin thought to himself. 'Maybe Haruka was by and forgot to lock up.' He took out his cell phone and speed dialed Haruka's number. While he waited for his aunt to pick up, he started to place the black case he carried on the floor before thinking better of the action. Instead, he carried it with him while he explored some of the other nearby rooms. He quickly discovered that several of the rooms on the lower floor were occupied as he could see from their appearance. One room seemed to be used by an older man or that is what Keitaro assumed by the room's sparse archaic decorative style.

"Hello?" his aunt's voice came over the phone when Keitaro opened the adjacent room.

'…A botanical garden?' Keitaro thought with mirth. "Hello, Aunt Haruka?"

"Seeing as the only person stupid enough to call me that is my nephew, what's up, Keitaro?"

"Heh, sorry about that, Haruka. Anyway, I am over at the Hinatasou and some of the rooms seem to be in use. Do you kno…" Before he could finish, he was knocked unconscious from a blow from behind.

"THIEF!" Haruka heard a voice she assumed was Naru's shout out in the background. Haruka could guess the rest. She quickly made her way over there before things got too far out of hand.

* * *

><p>Naru, Mitsune, Su and Shinobu surrounded the unconscious individual after dragging him into the reception area of the former inn. They had quickly bound the intruder after Naru had knocked him unconscious with a punch to the base of his head.<p>

"Cops are on their way," Mitsune confirmed, closing her phone. "Maybe you kids should wait in your rooms until they get here."

"I think that's a good idea," Naru agreed.

Shinobu didn't need to be told twice and quickly left for her room. Su frowned and took a much more leisurely pace to her own room.

Now it was only Mitsune and Naru alone in the room with the tied up suspected thief. They had put up a brave front when the younger girls were in the room, but both were visibly nervous. Both of their eyes turned to the black case as the man's side. Even unconscious, his grip on the case had not slackened.

"Do you think he took that from Motoko's room?" Mitsune asked. The case was long, longer than the man's arm and had a black matte finish. There were two hinges on the back, but no visible latch that would keep it closed. The only thing that seemed to keep the case closed were several ofuda that were placed along the cases opening. "It kind of looks like the weird stuff she keeps in her room."

Naru nodded in agreement. "We should open it to make sure. If it belongs to him," she pointed to the still unconscious thief on the floor, "it might be something perverted and we wouldn't want Motoko to find it." She kneeled next to the black case and reached out with both hands to peel away one of the paper talismans. Strangely, the closer her hand got to the case, the colder her hands felt. She had just peeled away one seal, when she was violently pushed clear of the case. "Hey!"

"Do not open that case!" Haruka shouted, breathing heavily. When she had come into the room, the first thought had been the case or rather the case's contents that her nephew always carried with him… always. When she saw Naru hovering over it, she acted without thought. With her foot, she pushed the case back to Keitaro's side. From Haruka's actions, Naru and Mitsune got the impression that the black plague was inside the case. "So, what happened?" Haruka asked, as she walked out of the room to retrieve a glass of water.

"We saw him take the box out of Motoko's room and open Su's door. He's obviously a thief. The police should be here any minute," Naru called out to Haruka in the other room.

Haruka had reentered the room as the police were mentioned and her eyes widened. "Well, that's nothing but trouble…" Haruka thought aloud.

"What?" Naru said in exasperated confusion, "Who cares if he gets in trouble?"

Haruka poured the water over Keitaro's face and gave Naru a deadpanned look. "It's not Keitaro who's gonna be in trouble."

"Keitaro?" both girls parroted.

"Yup, he's my nephew."

* * *

><p>Naru sat in the reception area of the dorm with her arms crossed in anger. She did not like not knowing what was going on. She would like to think herself in control of any situation she found herself in and these events were definitely out of her control. For now at least… She spied her best friend attempting to eavesdrop on the conversation taking place in the foyer and frowned. Though she would grudgingly admit she was just as curious.<p>

Mitsune was also frowning. Everyone was talking in such hushed tones; she couldn't make out a word. In any case, it didn't seem to take very long for this Keitaro person to convince the police of his innocence. In fact, the police seemed almost deferential to the mysterious man. Seeing Haruka and Keitaro approaching, Mistune quickly joined Naru on the couch Naru rolled her eyes at her friend's antics.

"Well," Haruka began. "I know you girls are curious, so let's just get right down to it. This is my nephew, Keitaro." The mentioned young man nodded his head at the two young ladies and smiled. He received a smirk and a glare in return. "It seems Granny Hina's turned the place over to him." She handed the letter that Keitaro had received over to Naru. Mitsune leaned over and read it as well.

"Unacceptable! He can't stay here!" Naru declared, quickly standing.

"She's right, Sugar. This is a girl's dorm now," Mitsune agreed. "I am sure you can find an apartment somewhere."

Keitaro frowned at their responses and held the black case to his chest as his whole body began to shake. Both Mitsune and Naru thought the man pathetic to start quivering like that. Haruka, on the other hand, knew that the shaking was not Keitaro's doing. She had to end this quickly. She withdrew a cigarette from the pack she carried and stuck it in her mouth. "You girls seem to think that you have a say in the matter. Hina Urashima has given this inn to Keitaro Urashima. Note the name Urashima and not Konno or Narusegawa. He can do with the property whatever he wants." She lit the cigarette and took a long drag. "You have a week to get out." With that she withdrew from the room and stood in the hall just outside of the manager's room. 'What's Granny thinking sending Keitaro and Kanako here of all places? She knew these girls were here. Maybe she's finally losing it.'

Still shaking quite violently, Keitaro knew it best he too left the room. "I am sorry that this has happened," he said bowing deeply to the two shocked women. When he rose again, he practically ran from the room and joined Haruka in the manager's office.

"That shivering coward can't kick us out!" She was about to rush into the manager's room and beat that fact into him, when Mitsune caught her arm.

"Cool it. How is beating him up gonna allow us to stay? He'll just call the cops and they'll throw us out and then throw us in jail. And at least you, Shinobu, Su and Motoko can go home. I got nowhere to go. Let me handle this. It requires a woman's touch."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Naru yelled, insulted. The shouting brought Shinobu and Su from their rooms.

"Did the police come?" Shinobu asked timidly.

"Oh, they came alright and now we're getting thrown out on the streets by the new owner!" Naru raged, throwing her hands in the air and pacing around the room.

"What? New owner?" Shinobu asked confused. "Why?"

"Cause he is a spineless jerk!" Naru continued to shout.

"Just hold on now. I gonna talk to him. I am sure I can convince him to let us stay," Mitsune promised, placing her hands on Shinobu's shoulders. The teenager nodded reticently and Mitsune headed towards the manager's room. She was about to knock but decided to eavesdrop first.

* * *

><p>"What the hell, Keitaro? Why did Granny send you here?"<p>

"For Kanako, she has always liked it here. I thought only Granny stayed here. With Hina's age Kanako would have little interest in her, so I asked Granny if I could live here too. Plus, it would be an easy commute to Tokyo U." Keitaro sighed and leaned against the small desk in the room. "I am sorry about the girls, but you know how Kanako can be better than anyone. They need to leave."

Now Haruka began to understand Hina's thinking as she looked at the innocuous oblong box. "So are you going to spend the rest of your life alone?" Haruka asked, leaning against the wall across from her nephew. "You can't let Kanako dictate your life. You need to take control."

Uncharacteristically, Keitaro's eyes narrowed in a combination of frustration and anger. "An easy thing for you to say… you know nothing about her."

Haruka's expression darkened considerably. "I have had my run-ins with that shape shifter in the past as you are well aware."

"Then you should understand," whatever heat existed in his voice had dissipated. "I didn't ask for this. I do it, because I have to. If you want the job…" he lifted the case and presented it to her.

Haruka shook her head in resignation. "Do what you think is best." He lowered the case. Both of them knew the consequences if someone other than Keitaro looked after it. The history of the Urashima clan was replete with proof. "How long do we have before she shows up?"

"Ten days at most, though she still surprises me now and then. Those girls should leave as soon as possible." Keitaro turned to look at the box that was his burden. "You think I'm weak, don't you?"

Haruka walked over and put a hand on her nephew's shoulder. "I _think_ you are stronger than _you_ think you are." She began to walk towards the door. "Whatever you decide, you have my support." Exiting the room, Haruka spotted Mitsune leaning next to the door. 'Here we go.'

"So who is Kanako?"

Haruka had to laugh. "Not even going to pretend you weren't listening in?" She asked the foxlike woman.

Kitsune kicked herself off the wall and crossed her arms. "Not when I might be gettin' tossed into the street. So, who is this Kanako? She a jealous girlfriend or something?" Mitsune continued.

"Forget you heard the name. She is the last '_person_' you want to run into and if you're lucky, you won't."

Watching Haruka walk away, Mitsune then turned and knocked on the manager's door. "That you, Haruka? Come in," came Keitaro's voice.

Mitsune opened the door to see Keitaro sitting in the center of the room. The ever present black box sat in the front of him. "Uh?"

"Name's Mitsune, Konno Mitsune, though my friends call me Kitsune."

Keitaro stood and chuckled. So you're not a real kitsune, good to know."

Kitsune laughed too. "Nope, I'm all woman, Sugar." She sauntered toward the young man, who began to retreat toward the far wall. He didn't get too far as he tripped over the black box. Though she laughed at his fall, a part of her seemed to recall that box had been in front of him. 'Must have not have noticed him stepping over it.' She walked over to him and offered him a hand up, bending at the waist to do so. The action offered him a clear and generous view of her cleavage. She smiled as she watched his cheeks redden and he did the gentlemanly thing and turned away, though he did accept her hand up. "I wanted to talk to you about me and the rest of the girls having to leave…"

"Yes, I am sorry about that. I will do all I can to help with the transition, but…"

"Hear me out, Sugar," Kitsune pleaded. "I know we got off on the wrong foot and we're sorry about knockin' you out and everything. We thought you had broken into Motoko's room."

"Motoko?"

"Yes, she is currently away on a school trip. She should be back tomorrow. Hers was the room with the samurai gear and sword crap."

Keitaro's eyes widened. 'That was a girl's room?' Running his hand through his hair, he started when Kitsune began to run her hand through his hair too. "Wha…"

Her eyes narrowed seductively. "You know, Mr. Manager, about us having to move out…"

"I really am sorry, but it really is necessary that you all leave. I will do my best to help everyone find a place to live. It is the least I can do after causing this hardship." The young manager bowed again in apology. Giving Mitsune a wide berth, he made his way over to the door and opened it. The hint was more than obvious.

Being one of the more sensible women in the dorm, at least when it concerned the male gender, Kitsune decided now was not the time to press the issue. Taking a deep breath and then slowly letting it out in a sigh, she made her own way to the door. Her eyes never left those of the new manager. She took some satisfaction in the dark blush that still permeated his face, but before walking through the threshold, she tried one more lure for information. "That Kanako must keep you on a tight leash."

Keitaro's eyes widened at this stranger knowing that name, before they narrowed in an emotion that Kitsune did not quite understand. There was something dark in those eyes. A view echoed by Keitaro's next words.

"And what would someone like you know?" he began. Whether he would have clarified it for her further would remain a mystery as the box in the middle of the room shook violently, before stopping just as suddenly. The action drew both their attentions, Kitsune's in curiosity and Keitaro's in dread.

The box slowly opened and Kitsune would swear that the temperature in the room dropped thirty degrees. The interior of the box was as black as the exterior and Kitsune would have had a difficult time discerning what was inside in not for the gold. Gold cloth was interwoven with obsidian around the hilt and the simple yet elegant sheath was graced with gold inlayed calligraphy, though she could not understand a word of it. She was so engrossed by the sword itself, she completely missed the ashen and broken talismans that once held the box closed.

_'Come here…'_

Involuntarily, Kitsune found herself taking a step forward and her left hand tentatively began to reach out for the dark blade. Before a second step could be taken, Kitsune was bodily thrown out the door, which immediately shut in her dazed face.


End file.
